Tea parties have been popping up throughout the country. One in Ridgefield on March 21 drew about 300 protesters.

The tea parties are part of a nationwide Republican effort to publicize the growing federal deficit, which topped $1 trillion by the time President Obama was sworn in and has sharply increased in the effort to stimulate the economy.

The rallies were directed both at Americans' tax burden and at the Obama administration. Protesters even threw what appeared to be a box of tea bags toward the White House, causing a brief lockdown at the compound.

In Boston, a few hundred protesters gathered on the Boston Common -- a short distance from the original Tea Party -- some dressed in Revolutionary garb and carrying signs that said "
Barney Frank
,
Bernie Madoff
: And the Difference Is?" and "D.C.: District of Communism."

Texas Gov.
Rick Perry
fired up a tea party at Austin City Hall with his stance against the federal government, as some in his U.S. flag-waving audience shouted, "Secede!"

In Atlanta, thousands of people gathered outside the Capitol, where
Fox News Channel
conservative pundit
Sean Hannity
was set to broadcast his show Wednesday night. One protester's sign read: "Hey Obama you can keep the change."

The tea parties were promoted by FreedomWorks, a conservative nonprofit advocacy group based in Washington and led by former
Republican House
Majority Leader
Dick Armey
of Texas, who is now a lobbyist.

Organizers said the movement developed organically through online social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter and through exposure on Fox News.

While FreedomWorks insisted the rallies were nonpartisan, they have been seized on by many prominent Republicans who view them as a promising way for the party to reclaim its momentum.

Former House Speaker
Newt Gingrich
planned to address a tea party in a New York City park Wednesday night. Louisiana Gov.
Bobby Jindal
sent an e-mail to his supporters, letting them know about tea parties throughout the state. South Carolina Gov.
Mark Sanford
planned to attend two tea parties.

Nearly 100 residents from as far as Southport and Middlebury gathered in Shelton. They paid $1 to cover expenses, brought a tea bag, and signed a petition that will be given to their state and federal legislators.

They carried signs, four of which were designed by
Jake Holzman
, a 13-year-old Beacon Falls eighth-grader. One read "I didn't read the bill either -- Then again I'm not spending others' $$$."

The scene was the same at the state Capitol, where nearly 3,000 protesters vented their anger in a noontime rally. Some carried signs that read "Stop
Forcing Bank Takeover
," "Stop the uncontrolled spending," and "I'll keep my jobs, guns and money and you keep the change."

Rick Rothstein, a 57-year-old unemployed accountant and one of the event's organizers, said, "Today we have a specific theme -- repeal the pork and cut taxes and spending."

As the mostly middle-age and older crowd of protesters arrived in Hartford, they signed registration sheets and were offered fresh tea bags from boxes of
Shop Rite
premium tea.

"What we've seen in recent years is an explosion in spending at the federal level, state level and local level," Rothstein added. "People have been upset for a while."

He said as the economy has worsened, families around the country have had to tighten their belts, while government spending continues to escalate. "We've just had enough," he said.

"People have had it, and they are letting their collective voices be heard here in Hartford and across the state," the governor said in a prepared statement. " As I have said repeatedly, the bloat of bureaucracy is no longer affordable. It is time to get back to basics."

She said the economic landscape is a chance to remake state government.

"To stop the exponential annual growth that is no longer affordable," Rell said, "we must do what every family across our state has been doing -- cutting back and doing more with less.

"My budget for the next fiscal year is actually lower than our budget this fiscal year. I am proud of that -- and I am also proud of the fact that my budget contains no tax increases for the next two fiscal years. None. People cannot afford their taxes now. We should not add to their burdens."

Rep.
John Geragosian
, D-New Britain, co-chairman of the General Assembly's budget-setting
Appropriations Committee
, was in a closed-door Democratic caucus at the time of the protest but said in an interview the state has to continue its social services commitments.

"Obviously, I understand how they feel, but we have a responsibility to put forth a budget with the services people of Connecticut need," he said.

"I've been a lawmaker for 20 years and I've voted both to cut and raise taxes. It's more fun to cut taxes, but we have the responsibility to continue those services and put us in a better position for the future."